What If
by BlackFrosted
Summary: Set AFTER Thor 2. Jane Foster finds her way to Asgard after a her breakup with Thor, but how will Loki react to this?
1. Suspicions and Visions

It had been two years since Thor had given up his throne to be with Jane, and every day since he had spoken of the place. Jane didn't mind at first, relishing in the stories he would tell her. But eventually she had grown tired of hearing about Sif, and all the adventures they had had, together. This had caused various arguments between the two; Jane always accusing Thor of still being in love with the warrior and him denying it each time. Eventually, the arguments took their toll, and Jane and Thor parted ways. Thor had, of course, wanted to return to Asgard, but the new king, his brother, was less than thrilled to bring the oaf back.

Loki had taken over the throne after tricking Thor into thinking that he was dead, and he wasn't about to give it up now. His elaborate plan had worked out, and the throne, the Realm, was his. It took some very well made lies, though. He had created a clone in Odin's likeness and had the clone announce that Loki was alive, and that he would be the king. It hadn't gone over that well at first, but the Asgardians eventually got used to Loki as their new king. This is where it got complicated.

Thor still thought that his brother was dead; that made his return to Asgard a threat to Loki's rule. And Loki couldn't have that, could he? Various times Thor had tried to return to the Realm Eternal by shouting for Heimdall, but each time there was no answer. Heimdall had informed Loki of this, and Loki simply told him to keep Thor out. Having no choice but to obey, Heimdall refused to answer the former Asgardian.

Meanwhile, Jane had returned to her work in the lab in New Mexico.

"Jane? Jaaaaaaane? JANE!" Darcy, Jane's intern, repeatedly poked her boss in the arm, curious to see if she was actually awake.

Jane whined and swatted at Darcy's hand a few times, before finally sitting up with a rather annoyed expression.

"What?" She asked, her tone less than friendly.

"You looked dead, so I was just makin' sure before I split town to avoid being blamed."

Jane rolled her eyes and stood up from the couch she'd fallen asleep on, stretching and yanwing, before going to the kitchen for her fourth cup of coffee. Darcy, of course, trailed behind her like a lost puppy.

"You've been kinda quiet today, you still thinking 'bout tall, blonde, and muscly?"

"Darcy, don't you have work to do? Or a wedding to plan…" The astrophysicist asked quietly, sipping her coffee with caution. Ian, Darcy's intern, he proposed to her shortly after the events that had transpired in London. Darcy had accepted, but no further planning had been done for the interns' wedding.

"Uh, no. Not until the dweeb calls me back." This time it was Darcy who rolled her eyes, plopping into a chair by the kitchen table.

"Phones work both ways, you know…" Jane sighed and took her coffee back into the lab, sitting at her desk to pull up the most recent images from the Hubble Telescope. She had decided to continue her work with proving that mortals could make a device to transport them to other realms, but she needed the telescope's images to be able to pinpoint Asgard's location, before she would even attempt to send herself there.

While Jane and Darcy where working on their portal device, Loki had been in talks with the guard of the palace about his the usual Asgardian details. Nothing seemed out of order, other than Heimdall's silence, and the King had dismissed them from his court. He sat there for a long while after they left, staring at the wall in silence. Something was going to happen, he knew that, but he didn't know what. His first thought was that his brother would return to Asgard for the throne, but he had quickly forced the thought from his mind. But feelings, unfortunately, could not be dismissed as easily as thoughts. Even then as he sat upon his golden throne, his stomach was twisted in knots as he tried to think of anything but the odds visions he'd been getting. His visions, though rare, always came when he was asleep, and they were always of the Bifrost. Sometimes it would be perfectly fine, but other times he could see someone arriving on it. The image of the person arriving was always too blurry to make out, and Loki would always wake up in a cold sweat when he tried to figure out who it was. And so, the young King would sit for hours, like he was doing that day, and try to figure out what the dreams could possibly mean.

Meanwhile, Jane had just added her last calculation into the teleportation machine, and was finally starting to get excited. If her machine worked she would be a millionaire. And she would finally be able to ask Sif if Thor still loved her or not…

"Janey, this is nuts! You can't ACTUALLY go up to Asgard with this… this thing! What about Barney? The poor cat's gonna miss ya!"

"I'll be back in a day or so, Darcy." Jane said as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "And Buster, not Barney, died a week ago. You knew that."

"Oh… yeah. Sorry." The young intern picked up her soda and started to sip it as she watched her friend prepare for 'teleportation'. "How do ya know this is even gonna work? And why the heck would you wanna go back to Asgard?"

"For Science, Darce." She responded quicker than she liked, removing all of her jewelry and placing it onto a nearby table. "I'm not sure it's going to work, but I have to try it. Just think of all the possibilities pf travel! Asgard is just one step out there."

"Sounds like a bunch of bull if you ask me. I'm perfectly content with Star Trek and a soda. We should just… pretend we're traveling with Captain Kirk, not actually try it."

Jane huffed in annoyance as he fingers flew over the keyboard, entering the last number code needed to turn on the machine.

"Unlike you, I actually want to be remembered for doing something extrodiary, not pig out on potatoe chips and bacon until I turn gray."

"Hey! its bacon bits, not bacon!"

"Whatever," the astrophysicist's right hand hovered over the enter key for a minute, "here we go…" She inhaled a deep breath and pressed enter. The second she did, her machine begun to make all sorts of whirring and beeping noises, lights flashing all over it. Both Darcy and Jane stared in wide-eyed-wonder as a white light shot up to the ceiling, spreading out into a cone shape, before rainbow patterns started form in the cone. Jane grinned and stepped out from behind her laptop, still staring into the now rainbow hued cone.

"Holy crape, Jane! Don't get close to that thing!"

Before Darcy could even finish her sentence, Jane had mindlessly made her way over to the machine. Her hair was in her face and her clothes where being pulled towards the rainbow cone. A pen on the nearby desk was lifted into the air and sailed across the room, directly into the cone. All of this had been carefully observed by the astrophysicist as she still stared into the cone.

"JANE! HELLO? EARTH TO JANE! GET AWAY FROM IT!"

Darcy's warning was merely a split second too late, as the machine sucked Jane's arm into it. The brunette had opened her mouth to instruct Darcy to shut down the machine, but it felt like all of the air had been sucked from her lungs. Swaying back and forth from the sudden dizzy spell, Jane Foster had gotten to close to the rainbow cone, and in the blink of an eye, she had been sucked into it, and vanished.

Loki had just been called for by Heimdall, and had made his way to the Gatekeeper's post at the Birfost, his scepter in hand.

"This had better be urgent. I was busy." He said rather coldly, shooting the other man a small death glare.

"Lady Foster has successfully built a teleportation device. She will arrive momentarily." Heimdall responded calmly.

Loki blinked a few times, staring in slight disbelief at the Gatekeeper. How had Jane, a mortal, manage to create such a device? If what Heimdall had said was true, Loki would ask her when she arrived.

The rainbow cone had connected with Asgard's Bifrost chamber, and Jane was hurtling towards it with increasing speed. The brunette had been unable to catch her breath after her machine sucked it out of her and had fallen unconscious. All of the sudden, the unconscious female landed on a solid surface with a thud, rolling on the ground until she came to rest at Loki and Heimdall's feet.

Loki stared at her for a minute, before bending down slowly to roll her onto her back and check for a pulse, seeing as she seemed lifeless. He snorted when he saw his brother's hammer, in a MUCH smaller version, on a chain around her neck. They were obviously still together. Or at least that's what he thought. After what seemed like an eternity of staring at her pale form, Loki pressed his fingers to Jane's wrist to check for her pulse. After finding one, he stood up.

"She lives, but if she is to stay alive she'll need medical attention."

Loki turned to the guards he had with him, stepping away from Jane's frail body to allow them to pick her up. "Take her to the healing room, and tell the healers to let me know when she awakes."

"Yes, my lord." They both nodded and lifted Jane into their arms, quickly rushing her to the healing room for immediate medical attention.

"Bloody idiot let his girlfriend travel up here all alone," Loki mumbled to himself as he made his way back to the castle. Big mistake, Thor… Big mistake…"


	2. Welcome To Asgard

It had been nearly a full day since Jane Foster's disappearance, and Darcy Lewis had been freaking out ever since. She tried to keep calm, but Jane's machine kept making those whirring and beeping noises it had made when it had pulled the astrophysicist into it. Darcy had made sure that she, and her iPod, were at least half the lab away from it just to be safe. She had also called her friend Eric Selvig, and her fiancé Ian to help locate Jane; they all assumed that worse; that Jane was dead. Little did they know that Jane was actually safe and sound in the healing room up on Asgard.

While Eric, Darcy, and Ian tried to figure out a way to get Jane back, Loki had been checking back at the healing room every half hour. He wanted to know why the brunette had come to Asgard, and if Thor would be attempting follow anytime soon.

"My King, your constant visits to her bedside will not cause her to wake any sooner." One of the healers had been sitting by the Jane's bed for hours, and Loki's constant visits seemed more urgent each time.

Loki shot her a glare, and she looked down at the golden floor again.

"You needn't tell me what I already know. But I need her to wake soon. You aren't helping…"

"Her body has been through much, it could be tomorrow before she wakes again…" This time the young healer spoke in almost a whisper, twiddling her fingers in her lap. She knew that Loki could sometimes become violent when kept waiting too long.

"Useless," he huffed, "you're all useless at times like this." He shook his head and turned to leave, but a soft whimper from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks. Loki spun around so fast that there was a breeze that could be felt by anyone close enough.

"She's waking up now," the healer mumbled while moving to check on Jane's vital signs.

"I can see that," he growled, crossing his arms and looking down at the female on the bed.

Jane had been asleep for what felt like days, and though she was awake at the moment, her eyes just didn't want to open yet. She could tell by the nurse, or what she thought was one, that she was in a hospital, or a room like one. She found it odd that she didn't, however, hear a monitor, nor did she have an IV needle in her arm. That was when it hit her; she had to be back on Asgard in the healing room. Jane needed to wake up. She managed to make her fingers wiggle, and she was whimpering just fine. So why couldn't she open her eyes?

"Why isn't she bloody waking up?!"

"My lord, she's been through a great deal of trauma—" The healer's words were cut short as Jane's eyes finally flickered open. Both the healer and Loki stared down at Jane, waiting for the young brunette to wake.

"Ugh… what happened…" Jane mumbled and tried to sit up, but the healer made her stay down. It took the young brunette a minute to clear her vision and realize just who was standing over her. Her honey hued irises widened in shock as Loki finally came into clear view. "L- Loki?" She asked in a rather shaky breath, blinking a few times just to be certain she wasn't dreaming. "Y- You're dead… Oh my gosh... Am I dead?!"

Loki sighed as the healer moved around him to go and get Jane a glass of water.

"No, Miss Foster, you are not dead. And neither am I. What you saw that day was merely an illusion. Now, I've some questions for you. Namely, how did you get here, and when does Thor plan to follow you?"

The brunette woman blinked a few times, staring up at Loki n confusion and shock. She was positive she'd seen him die, but here he was, telling her the complete opposite. She almost couldn't believe it. Almost. After a few more seconds of staring the god she once thought dead, Jane finally found her voice again. 

"I… I made a machine, and… it worked, I guess..." She ran a shaky hand through her chocolate locks of hair. "Thor isn't coming," she turned her gaze away from the god's, "not after me anyways…"

Loki raised a brow at this, nearly snatching the glass of water from the healer's hand, shooing her off. If Thor wasn't coming after Jane, then he really had no further questions for her after this next one. But Loki, being the gentleman his mother had raised him to be, offered his hand to the astrophysicist to help her sit up so that she could drink her water.

The brunette looked back over at the god when he extended his hand, and she hesitated before taking it and allowing him to help her to sit up. She squeezed her eyes shut the second she was up, a sudden dizzy spell swimming in her head. After it cleared, Jane took the cup of water Loki was offering to her, looking into it suspiciously.

"What's in it?"

"Water, of course. I've no intent to kill you, Jane, as long as you pose no threat, of course."

"….All right…" She cautiously lifted the golden cup to her lips and took a tiny sip of water, before downing the whole cup almost immediately after. She then let her eyes wander around the room, still holding the cup in her small hands. "Why am I here?" She asked, not yet meeting the god's gaze.

"Because you nearly died? When you entered this realm you fell, almost lifeless, at my feet. You had quite the journey, I assume." Loki said quietly, tilting his head slightly to the left as he looked at Jane curiously. She didn't seem as surprised as he expected her to be.

"Oh…. Why are you here with me?" She finally lifted her gaze from the floor, honey brown hues meeting emerald green ones as their eyes finally met. Jane had never really noticed just how green Loki's eyes really were; they were almost mesmerizing.

When Jane's eyes met his, Loki froze for a split second, having to swallow before he could continue, "simple, Lady Jane, I am the king. And the king of Asgard must make sure that people who fall at his feet, nearly dead, aren't actually dead."

Jane blinked a few times, her eyes growing wide. Had she ACTUALLY head correctly, or was she really, truly, dreaming? Or perhaps she'd gone mad…

"You… They made YOU the king?! Why?!"

Loki's eyes narrowed.

"None of your business, Miss Foster. I have questions for you, however."

"Uh… ok… shoot."

"Namely, when I mentioned Thor following earlier ad you said he wouldn't, what compelled you to give such an answer?"

Jane swallowed and turned her head away from Loki, her honey irises glossing over with tears.

"Thor and I don't speak anymore…" She finally responded in a quiet tone, turning back to face the god before her once again. "I ended it."

"Oh… But the necklace… why do you still wear it if you no longer wish to see my brother?"

She reached up and clasped the mina, metal Mjölnir on the chain around her neck. She had forgotten to take it off before the machine grabbed her. 'Maybe that's what pulled me into it,' she mused to herself.

"I uh… I forgot to take it off, I guess…" She tugged it and the chain snapped, the necklace still firmly grasped in her hand. She slowly held it out to Loki with a shaky hand. "You can have it, since you're intrigued by it."

"Uhm," Loki blinked a few times as he gazed at the dangling necklace in the brunette's small hand, "no, no… I do not wish to take it from you, Jane… Tis yours."

Jane's face was void of emotion as she pulled her hand back and stuffed her necklace into her jean's pocket, then pulled her knees up to her chest, her chin wresting on her knees.

"Can I go home now?"

Just then, the healer returned to the room to answer Jane's question. The woman had been watching from another room to make sure that Loki wouldn't harm the fragile Midgardian.

"I'm afraid, Lady Foster," she began, "that you will not be returning home as soon as you would like."

Both Loki and Jane's heads snapped towards the timid healer.

"And… why not?"

Loki asked, a bit agitated.

"Her body needs time to heal, My King. She would not survive another trip through the Bifrost in this condition. I'm sorry…"

"…Dismissed."

Loki almost hissed at the red-haired woman, turning his attention back to brunette on the healing bed. "On second thought," the healer stopped in her tracks as Loki spoke, "get one of the maid servants to fit her with the typical Asgardian dress. Miss Foster will receive the same treatment as before, save the being contained in one room…"

Jane blinked a few times, her lips parting to protest, but the healer was already gone. She swallowed thickly, tucking her lower lip between her teeth as she prayed, yes prayed, that Loki's plans, and she knew he had them, weren't to kill her. 

Meanwhile, Darcy was busy typing away on Jane's laptop to try and find the combination of numbers that Jane had used to activate the machine. Now, Darcy knew that Jane, as neat as she was, ALWAYS wrote important information down, but she had turned the lab upside down and there was no sign of the combination. After about the twelve thousandth time, the computer popped up an error massage, causing Darcy to throw her phone across the room and curse in frustration.

"Why the heck didn't she write it down?!"

Ian, who had nearly been hit by the flying device, trotted over to fiancées side, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, love. We'll find it!"

Darcy angrily shrugged his hand away and pinched the bridge of her nose, huffing and closing her eyes.

"We'll gonna find you, Jane… I swear."


End file.
